Destined
by RosemarieAlexandra
Summary: After Clary is accidently locked out of her car and has to walk home in the freezing weather, she thought nothing else could go wrong. Next thing she knows, Clary's archenemy from high school, Jace, is forcing her to stay with him until she can get her keys out of her car. Will hate blossom into love, or will an unexpected event destroy what they've built between them?
1. Chapter 1

"No, no, no, no, no! This cannot be happening!" I yanked on the handle of my car repeatedly, wishing the lock open. A car had sped past me about two minutes ago, while I was in the middle of putting my bags in the passenger seat. I had already put the key in the ignition, ready to let it warm up a bit before I drove the forty minutes back home, but I ended up jumping to the side and slamming my door shut to prevent the entire thing getting ripped off. Unfortunately, the doors locked when I shut them. Now I'm stuck in the freezing cold, with heavy, wet snow soaking through my coat and chilling me down to the bone. After confirming there were no cabs around, I began walking home.

"I just had to get locked out of my car when Maia's out of town. At least I hadn't started the car yet." My muttering to myself earned me odd looks from passing people, which I met with a rather rude glare, but I was past caring.

I was about thirty minutes away from my car and any other living person, and embracing the fact I might have hypothermia when I get home, when a hand landed on my shoulder. My hand sought the knife stashed in my boot, as I spun away from the creeper behind me.

"Impressive speed for someone who looks like their almost frozen through. You can put the knife away though, I'm friendly." I felt my eyebrow go up, twisting my face into an exasperated expression.

"Jace. What the hell do you want?" I let my now-soaked hair fall in front of my face while I shoved my knife back in my boot. I cringed at the glimpse I got of my hair, already feeling the pain of trying to untangle it later.

"Still fiesty I see- I'm glad. I always liked fiesty Clary. As for what I'm doing, I noticed you walking about five minutes ago, and saw you were soaking wet. I figured I would do the honorable thing and see if you wanted a ride home."

"What's in it for you?"

"Really Clary, you hurt my feelings." Jace had a fake injured looked on his face, his hand clutching his chest. The expression slid off his face, a more serious one taking its place.

"Seriously though, do you need a ride home Clary? You're gonna freeze to death out here." I'd never seen Jace this serious before, but I wasn't going to let my guard down. I still remember the day he 'accidently' spilt a vial of some sort of animal blood on me in science our Junior year in high school.

"No, I'm fine. My apartment's just another five minutes ahead." I started to walk again, until my feet completely left the ground.

"Jace! Put me down! I told you I can get home on my own!" I felt Jace laugh, while my frustration only grew.

"I know that, but you don't need to get sick or develop hypothermia. Your fingers already look white like the beginings of severe frostbite. I'm driving you, whether you like it or not." I bit back a retort and lifted my hands to look at them. They _were_ white, and I grudgingly accepted the fact I needed Jace's help.

His car was warm, and clean. Very clean. I felt bad even sitting in it, seeing as I was soaking wet. Jace fiddled with the controls on the dash, concentrating the heat on me. I sunk into the seat, feeling my tense muscles finally relax from the heat.

"Hold on a sec." Jace's voice snapped me out of my trance, bringing me back to reality. Jace was outside digging around in the trunk of his car, and I was back to sulking. When he climbed back in he spread out a soft, thick blanket on me and handed me a navy blue towel.

"There, that should keep you warm until we get to your place. Use that towel to dry your hair; I'm not letting you back out of this car until it's dry." He gently grabbed a strand of my hair, showing me the ice in it much to my surprise. I was staring at him, actually at _him_, when he shook his head slightly and dropped the strand.

I was carefully running the towel through small sections of my hair when I reallized something.

"Damn it! They're on my keychain!" Jace swirved slightly, skidding momentarily on the slick roads before regaining control. He looked over in surprise at me.

"The reason I was walking is because I was putting my bags in the passenger seat of my car, when an idiot driver almost took my door off. I jumped against my car and slammed the door shut, but when I went to open the door back up, it was locked. So was the passenger side and both back doors. My keys were in the ignition ready for me to start the car."

"At least you didn't start it, other wise that could have been pricey with an empty tank of gas and possibly a ticket from that metermaid with the stick up her ass. What about a family member or room mate? Does no one else have a spare key for you?"

"Yeah I've got one in my apartment and my room mate Maia has the third one, but she's out of town for the next two weeks. She actually just left this morning. Maia also has the second apartment key. My Mom lives in Montana with my Dad, Luke." I put my face in my hands, abandoning the task of drying my unruly curls.

"Let me guess, your key is in your car." I nodded, keeping my head in my hands.

"Simple solution. I'll pay for you to stay in a hotel until we can get your car unlocked." My head shot up, a look of disbelief crossing my features.

"What? Absolutely not, Jace! I'm not letting you do that!"

"Okay then, you can just stay with me then. Yup, it's decided." My jaw dropped, and I just stared at him again. I saw him glance out of the corner of his eye and grin.

"I know I'm pleasent to stare at, but I don't think my ego could get any bigger. Your going to make it explode." I gritted my teeth, but was secretly thankful for the obnoxious comment; it kept me from having those thoughts where I mistake Jace as a nice guy.

"I'm not letting you pay for me to stay in a hotel, and I'm not going to stay at your apartment."

"Sorry Clary, but I'm not giving you a choice. I know as well as you do, that you have exactly zero options besides the ones I'm offering at the current moment. I'd say take it or leave it, but I'm making you take it."

"Great. Just great."


	2. Chapter 2

"Jace, what did you buy?" We were parked outside a simple chain store which sold everything from clothes to food to hiking equipment. Jace had suddenly pulled into the parking lot about fifteen minutes ago, and told me to wait in the car with the heat still running. Too tired to argue, I just shrugged and let my head fall against the window. Now he was back, and had just loaded about fifteen bags into the backseat of the car.

"Just some supplies for you. I don't want to be a bad host, now do I?" He was calmly fastening his seatbelt, while I was simmering and on the edge of committing homicide.

"Jace..." He just flashed me a white smile, and pulled back onto the road.

Jace's apartment wasn't so much of an apartment, but more of a two story flat. The bottom floor consisted of a simple entryway, which connected into the livingroom. To the left of the living room was a lavish kitchen with soft black marble counters. It seemed simple, but not exactly _Jace_.

"I know what you're thinking. I only entertain here and cook. My real living area is upstairs with the bedrooms. No one has ever been up there before besides my brother and sister, and now you." That feeling was fluttering in my stomach again. Maybe Jace has changed from the asshole he was in high school. After all he's bought me god knows what at that store, saved me from freezing to death, and offered me a place to stay until I can call someone to get my keys out of my car.

"Hey, you okay?" Jace was standing not even a foot away from me, his hand on my forehead.

"You're warm- warmer than you should be normally. I'll show you your room upstairs and then I'll bring in all the bags. Come on." He grabbed my wrist, sending jolts up my arm. Jace didn't appear to feel what I did, so I blamed it on my hands almost getting frostbit.

"Here we are. Make yourself comfortable, and I'll go get your things so you can take a shower." He shut the door on the way out, leaving me to marvel at the room. A queen size bed rested in the middle of the wall to my left, flanked by small black tables with three drawers a piece in them. A green comforter with a silver sheen adorned the bed, with very fluffy pillows sheathed in the same material. The walls were painted an off-color white, making the room seem spacious yet cozy. A walk-in closet was situated on the other side of the room, beside the bathroom. The bathroom was very large, with a jacuzzi in the left corner and a simple shower stall encased in semi-transparent glass on the right. The sink was enormous, with enough room to hold a dancer's makeup and then some. There were also about six different plug ins, which made me think this room had been specifically designed for a girl to inhabit.

I was sitting on the bed running my hand over the material on the bed when Jace knocked on the door. I opened the door and sat back down in my spot on the bed. There was something about this material that was just so aesthetically pleasing, especially when I softly ran my hand over it. I caught Jace smile as I did this, but watched as his eyes went wide and he rushed over to me. He grabbed my hand resting on my lap, and turned it over.

"Oh my gosh, just look at your hands Clary! You're taking a hot bath right now." Before I could say anything, he was already in the bathroom turning on the jacuzzi and letting the water heat up.

"Jace I can take care of my self. I don't need you to baby me." I was standing in the doorway of the bathroom, but I peeked over at the bags, which were now tossed across the bed, hoping Jace had perhaps bought me clothes. He came back out, saw where I was looking, and pressed his hand against the small of my back to guide towards the pile.

"These bags are clothes, this one is things like toothbrush and toothpaste stuff like that, and these bags are hair things like a hairbrush and mousse."

"Mousse? How do you know I use mousse in my hair? You even got the brand right!" I held the can in my hand, looking at Jace expectantly.

"Well, back in high school Kailea would complain to about how 'your hair was always so perfect' so she found out what you used in your hair and tried it. That was the day she came in with her hair so stiff it could have stabbed someone." I smiled, remembering Kailea. She had gotten jealous easily, but was a good person in the end.

"She thought my hair was perfect? If I remember correctly, it was a frizz ball constantly. My hair was horrible. Kind of like it is right now." I picked up a strand and scowled at it. I was going to need half a gallon of conditioner and a good two hours to get the knots out of it.

"Ah crap. See how stiff your hands are? You need to go get in the bath Clary." I was getting frustrated with Jace bossing me around.

"What if I don't want to? Maybe I just want to get out of these wet clothes and curl up in bed?" His eyes narrowed dangerously, and his mouth was in a scowl.

"I will make you get in there, Clary. You might have hypothermia, so you need to take a bath and soak in the hot water for a while." I glared back and crossed my arms.

"I'd like to see you try." Jace smirked, making my stomach flutter again.

"Challenge accepted." Jace rushed me, pinning me against the wall beside the doorframe to the bathroom. He used his entire body to pin me, causing me to secretly admit he was indeed a very desirable man. However my mind flipped to murder again when I felt him grasp both my thin jacket and shirt and yank them off me, leaving me in my bra and jeans.

"Jace Wayland! What are you doing?" I started to squirm and get away from him, but he was just too strong.

"Making you get in that tub. I told you I would." With that he quickly popped the button on my jeans and disposed of them on the floor beside my shirt and jacket. Now I was clad in only my black bra and panties. Usually I would try to cover myself, but I was too mad to even think about it, plus Jace still had his entire body pinning mine to the wall. Next thing I knew, I was picked up bridal-style and dumped in the tub. I flung my now sopping hair our of my face to glare at Jace, who was sitting on the edge of the tub wearing an 'I told you so' expression.

"Why the hell do you even care what happens to me? It's not like you cared in high school, so why now?" The smirk left his face to be replaced with a frown. He ran his hand through his hair, seeming lost for words for the first time in his life.

"I don't know, but I do know that you need help right now and I'm more than glad to oblige. I feel awful about my actions in high school, and I wish I could erase everything mean I had ever said or done to you. I'm not sure why, but for the past couple years, about five months after graduation, I started having dreams about you. Some were pleasant, but most were nightmares. The most recent one was of you literally freezing to death somehow. I know deep down that if I would have let you walk home, you wouldn't have made it through the night. Believe it or not Clary, but I've actually _missed you_. You're the only one who could actually hold an argument with me and not make a total ass of themself." My eyes were wide, taking Jace in in a brand new light. So he has changed.

"Thank you Jace. You really don't understand how much that means to me." He just smiled, told me to stay in for a minimum of an hour, but I could stay in for as long as I liked. I nodded my thanks, and finished stripping once he left.

"I really hope he remembered underwear and not just shirts and pants." I drew my knees stretched out in the tub, and just let the jets massage away and thoughts and worries.

Three hours later after I had gotten dressed in a comfy pair of black yoga pants and a tank top, which surprisingly fit, I wandered out into the hall and discovered Jace's actual living area. _This_ seemed like Jace's place to hangout. Creme carpets, navy blue walls, a huge 92' television hung on the wall, in front of a spacious couch with a coffee table. An Xbox, Playstation 3, Wii, and DVD player were organized neatly in the entertainment stand beneath the television with more games than I could count for each one.

Choosing to simply watch t.v., I settled in the corner of the couch with my legs tucked against me. I was halfway through the movie Rise of the Guardians when Jace appeared in the doorway with his classic smirk on his face.

"I see you found my actual living room. Are you enjoying the movie?" His golden hair was wet, the curls held down by excess water. I nodded, tucking my legs against me tighter. I didn't notice how cold I was until Jace threw a blanket on me. I grabbed the edge, pulling it up against my neck.

"So I called the car place that unlocks cars for people."

"You what? It's ten at night Jace! What if you woke someone up?" The blanket had slipped while I was ranting, exposing my shoulder to the cold air again. I shivered and pulled it back up, but not before catching Jace staring at me. I shook my head and returned to glaring at him.

"I didn't wake up anyone, but that's because the owner of the shop and its employees are out of the country on a business trip for the next three weeks. Looks like your stuck with me until your roommate comes back." I drew my knees up to my chest under the covers and let my head fall on them. I let out a groan, while Jace chuckled and left the room.

What had I do to deserve this? I hate Jace! Or at least I wanted to hate him, but he was being so sweet. What other person would take me in after roaming the streets in the snow? He even bought me clothes and supplies to make me more comfortable.

"Hey, cheer up. I brought you something." Jace settled in beside me, a bowl of something in each hand.

"What's this?" I accepted the bowl he offered me, taking a cautious bite.

"Strawberry frozen yogurt. I picked some up when I stopped to get your things." I shoveled another large bite in my mouth, barely managing to hold back a moan of delight.

"How did you know I loved this stuff?"

"Remember the ice cream stand you went to after school every friday? I remember you would get one of those small cups of it every time you went." I felt my cheeks heat up at the thought of Jace watching me.

"You seem to have stalked me a lot in high school. Probably to plot against me and humiliate me with something." Jace gave me a small smile, but I didn't miss the slight slump in his shoulders.

"I used to tell myself that was the reason I used to watch you, but now I think it was because of something else." I put my finished bowl of frozen yogurt on the coffee table and gave Jace my full attention.

"Like what?" I ventured cautiously. The fluttering was back in my stomach and I felt my heart start to beat rapidly.

"Well I, it's hard to explain Clary. It's nothing." With that he left and I heard his door softly shut. I felt a stray tear slide down my cheek and swiped at it angrily.

"What are you getting emotional about? Its not like you like him or anything." I placed my bowl in the small kitchenette area beside the room I was just in and went to my temporary bedroom, taking the blanket Jace had put on me earlier. After brushing my teeth and washing my face, I settled under the amazingly soft blankets and tried to forget about Jace.

I shut my door without going in. I felt so bad about how I treated Clary in high school, but in all honesty I've realized the reason I treated her the way I did was because I _cared_ about her. I still care about her. What I don't understand is why. Why do I feel like I need to protect her and beat the crap out of anyone who messed with her?

"What are you getting emotional about? Its not like you like him or anything."

I stepped backwards into the shadows when I heard her soft footsteps leave the livingroom and then the kitchenette. I saw the tear stain on her cheek reflect the dim light emitting from the livingroom and felt my heart constrict. Why was I such a dick? I sighed and went into my bedroom, with ideas of how I could make it up to Clary swirling around in my mind.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks to shannie83, memeg, Liz113, SweettFace, Fillmore99, and theeigthlilyflower for reviewing!

I hope you all are enjoying, and any suggestions are appreciated!

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When I woke up the next morning, the first thing I realized was that this room wasn't in my apartment. I shot up slinging open the door and running out into the hallway, keeping flat against the wall. I was breathing rapidly, and willing my sole muscles to cooperate with me. Why were my muscles sore? I turned my body to the left, peering down the hallway to see where I could escape- until arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me flush against a chest.

"You got locked out of your car and apartment, and now your staying with me until your roommate comes back." Ah, I remember. I pushed backwards at Jace, trying to get him away from me.

"Get off of me, Jace!" He let go, hands up in surrender.

"Sorry! Just thought I'd keep you from smacking into the front door when you try to escape." He casually turned away and walked into the kitchen, leaving me standing in the middle of the hallway.

"Wait, slam into the door? What does that mean?" I followed Jace into the kitchen, plopping down on one of the stools by the island. He rummaged in the fridge and pulled out a carton of eggs and butter, followed by a pack of bacon.

"Look out the window. The snow didn't stop last night." I moved to the window, gasping when I looked outside. Not a soul was on the side walk and only a few vehicles were attempting to trudge what looked like two feet of snow piled up on the streets. The snow was still steadily drifting down, not showing any signs of stopping.

"The door is not only blocked by snow, but it's also frozen shut. I tried to open so I could go across the street to get us coffee this morning, but when the door wouldn't budge I changed to plan B."

"What's plan B?"

"Home-brewed coffee, fried eggs, toast, and bacon." I nodded in agreement and sat back down, propping my elbows up on the island.

"Where do you work?" I let my head fall to the side, silently stating my question. Jace turned around, letting the bacon start cooking.

"I was asking because you're not going to be able to go anywhere out of this house for a few days at the least." I groaned, letting my head bang softly on the table.

"Most women would be jumping at the chance to be trapped in an apartment with me. This makes me almost wonder if your a lesbian. Does your roommate have a boyfriend?"

"Excuse me! I am not a lesbian and Maia does have a boyfriend thank you very much! Maybe I just think your a pompous idiot and you lower my intellectual level." Jace raised an eyebrow, his famous smirk crossing his face. I glared back at him, challenging him to say another smartalec remark. He laughed, turning back to attend to our breakfast. I sighed, and figured I tell him what he wanted to know.

"I work from home. I'm an artist."

"Are you one of those freelance artist who is actually really depressed and 'paints for their soul'? Or maybe you're trying to find a big break with a museum or something?" I giggle escaped from my lips before I could stop it. I shook my head, trying to stifle my smile.

"Do you know the Landmark Arts Studio down on Sutton Avenue? How they always have a brand new poster on that sign for each new play they perform? I paint those for them." Jace dropped the spatula on the floor, cursing and retrieving a new one while tossing the other in the sink.

"You mean to say that tiny you paints that enormous fifteen foot poster every two weeks for them?" I nodded, enjoying the fact I caught Jace off guard for once.

"Yup." I said, popping the 'p'.

"Right now I'm not painting for them though, because they take a break performing from November to February."

"I'm getting a feeling you paint for someone else during that four month break."

"Just a family painting here or there, occasionally someone will ask me to paint a room in there home when they want something more than just plain paint. I haven't had any calls for about two weeks though, so I don't have any appointments." Jace maneuvered the first round of bacon onto a plate next to the stove and put the next round on.

"How does a family painting work? Do they just sit there while you paint them like in the Victorian days?" Another involuntary giggle escaped my lips. I really needed to stop before Jace's ego really does explode.

"No, they send me a picture to work off of. The only ones I actually have to travel for is the room paintings. Otherwise I work from home." Jace whistled, looking impressed.

"How much do you usually make from these paintings?" I scoffed, folding my arms on the table.

"That's a little personal, don't you think?" He shrugged, transferring the last round of bacon to the plate and starting on the eggs.

"I'm just curious, that's all." I sighed again, deciding to humor him.

"One thousand."

"For all that? That's it?"

"No, that's for the Landmark painting. Family portraits range from fifty to one thousand and walls are fifty."

"Wait, family portraits range to one thousand? Who would pay that much for a portrait?"

"Rich families who want a portrait as big as the poster I paint for the Landmark. It takes a lot of time to do those, so I need to make it worth my while. Those rich bastards think it's a steal for only a thousand." I flinched when the toast popped; I hadn't seen Jace put the bread in the toaster.

"It's great that your self-employed. Plus you live in an area where there's a lot of opportunities to gain new clients and businesses, so you never have to worry about slow business." Jace set a plate with two fried eggs, three pieces of bacon, and two pieces of toast in front of me. A second later he set a hearty cup of orange juice to the right of my plate, and placed his own plate across from me. Like a typical guy, he had a massive pile of food on his plate which I couldn't even begin to take stock of.

"What do you do? I know you can't just be a stay at home rich kid, even though you have the money." Everyone knew Jace's family was loaded, but Jace never played on the fact he came from a family with money. He never flaunted it and never used it for personal gain. I had always found that an admirable quality in him, but I would always forget when he would make a snarky comment.

"That's probably the nicest thing you've ever said to me. Although you are correct, I own the defensive arts academy that's actually only three streets up from the Landmark Studio. I don't go there very much, because Izzy and Alec are the instructors and keep everything in line. I'm sure you remember at least Izzy." I did remember Izzy, very well. She was one of my friends in high school, even if we didn't hang out much out of school.

"I do. I need to drop by and see her sometime. I feel bad for not trying to track her down after all these years."

"Geez, Clary. Way to make me feel us feel old. It's only been two years since we graduated and you make it sound like twenty." I let a small smile grace my lips, secretly starting to enjoying Jace's odd sense of humor.

I spent the rest of the day sorting through the bags Jace had left on my bed, hanging the clothes up and putting away the bathroom supplies at the urging of Jace. All of the clothes Jace had bought me, every single one, fit perfectly to my surprise. I almost wondered if he had been checking me out in the car or was just a good guess at what sizes people wore. After I had finished putting all of the clothes and bathroom supplies away, I noticed Jace hadn't bought one thing- makeup. All I wore usually was a bit of eyeliner and mascara, occasionally some foundation on days I wasn't feeling well, but I felt exposed without any on around Jace. I didn't care what I looked like around other people, but Jace made me feel so plain. His blonde hair and golden eyes gave him the look of an angel, while my red hair and green eyes just made me an oddity in this town. Luckily, I kept an extra eyeliner pen and mascara tube in my bag. I just needed to find it.

"Hey Jace?" I barely raised my voice, knowing Jace would hear me just fine from the living room. His head popped around the frame, and smirk already on his face.

"Yes my oh so quiet house guest? Do you need something?" I managed to hold back a giggle and keep an annoyed look on my face.

"I need my bag. Did you bring it in last night or is it still in your car?"

"Car. I was more concerned about keeping you thawed out. Why? Is there something you need in it?" I nodded my head, silently praying he wouldn't ask me what I needed from it. Saying I only needed my makeup from it seemed silly when asking him.

"What do you need from it that's so important?" Damn it. I sighed, put my palm to my forehead.

"Nothing, forget about it. I forgot the door was frozen shut. I'll just wait till it's thawed out." I made to go back to the closet when Jace grabbed my wrist and held me back.

"If you really need something from it, I'll find a way to get it Clary. You don't have to tell me what it is." He moved to start down the stairs, until I grabbed his arm to stop him.

"It's not important Jace. It's just something I usually.. have with me and I felt odd without it, that's all." Jace looked into my eyes, trying to see if I was telling the truth. I was telling the truth, just not one hundred percent of the information was there.

"Clary, I think your pretty with makeup on, but your beautiful without it." My heart stopped, and my stomach felt as if it had butterflies in it again. How did he know what I wanted? Jace turned his body towards me, his hand stroking my face with a tenderness I had never seen him display.

"Why now, Jace?" We both knew I was talking about his sudden display of feelings for me. My eyes were searching his, looking for an answer. After all I had been through in high school, why was he doing this to me?

"Why not now?" With that, he caressed my face once more and then disappeared somewhere in the hall.

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**Sorry the chapter is mainly dialog, but Jace making his feelings towards Clary slowly known will play a large part in the story. :) **


	4. Chapter 4

**Get ready to swoon Clace fans! Enjoy!**

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The next few days were uneventful, seeing as we were stuck in the house. I drew for most of the time, while Jace disappeared into the room beside his bedroom. I was still very confused confused about what happened three nights ago, but tried to put it off as Jace being, well, Jace. I had been drawing absentmindedly for the past hour, and looked down to see a sketch of a man and a women standing on the beach at sunset, her arms around his neck and his arms around her waist, staring into each other's eyes with loving smiles on their faces. With a jolt, I realized the woman had long curly hair, and the man... It was me and Jace. I gasped and dropped the sketchbook, my heart beating wildly.

"Clary? Are you okay?" I heard Jace's footfalls coming towards the room, and quickly flipped to a couple pages ahead. I managed to do a quick sketch of a lily with a 'mystic' swirling background before Jace opened the door. I tried to look as calm as possible, but my heart was still racing as if I had ran a marathon.

"I heard you scream. Everything okay?" I managed to look confused, and shrug my shoulders. I looked back down at my sketchpad, and continued to shade the lily. Jace sat down across from me on the bed, taking a peek at the lily. He whistled appreciatively and looked up at me.

"You really are a good artist, sketching or painting. Maybe I should have you decorate downstairs so my guests will quit saying it looks so plain." I fell backwards on the bed, groaning.

"I knew you were going to say that." Jace chuckled and grabbed my ankle, pulling me closer so that he could see my face again. I felt my face heat up, and awkwardly looked up at him.

"The door's thawed out, and it's dinner time. I figured we could go to that restaurant, Taki's. My treat." Was Jace asking me out on a date? I felt my cheeks flame up again, and tried desperately to stay calm.

"Taki's? Isn't that a fancy restaurant? I don't have anything nice to wear that would be appropriate for a place like that."

"Ah, but you do." Jace pulled a large, flat black box from behind him and placed it in front of me. I raised an eyebrow, giving Jace an incredulous look.

"You're kidding me. Not only are you letting me stay with you, but I'm also eating your food and you've bought me clothes and supplies. It's too much Jace! I can't accept this." I also can't accept that you're a decent human being and I might be developing feelings for you.

"Just look at it this way. You going to dinner with me will be my payment. I won't accept cash or any other type of payment- you have no choice. It's seven right now and our reservations are for eight-thirty, so you have an hour to get ready." Jace left before I could say anything, leaving me with my mouth hanging open. I groaned, and drug the black box towards me.

An hour later, I was attempting to pin my hair up with shaking hands. I had to stop and wipe my sweaty hands on the towel lying on the counter.

"Why am I so nervous? It's just Jace who is just a friend and is just taking me out to dinner. It's no big deal." I continued to push pins into my curls, until only a few were artfully hanging down around my face. Now finished, I took a step back to take in my appearance. Red curls spilled over a blushing face with emerald eyes lined in black and framed by thick lashes. A strapless dress of deep shimmering blue hung down to my ankles, a slit running to my upper thigh. I shook my head, not believing the woman in the mirror was me. I usually felt very plain and timid, but the woman staring back at me was exotic and beautiful.

"Clary, we need to leave." I heard Jace knock on my door and jumped. I took in a shaky breath, checking my hair for any stray curls one more time.

"I'm coming." I slipped my black heels on, praying the ice outside was melted. Jace was waiting by the front door checking his watch when I came through the entryway. My heart went into overdrive at the sight of Jace. I remember him in a suit at prom, but I didn't remember him looking this good. Jace muttered a single word, but I didn't manage to catch it due to the sound of my heart drowning out any other noise.

"What did you say, Jace?"

"I, uh, nothing. I didn't say anything. Lets go."

Dinner was uneventful, filled with simple conversation and excellent food. Surprisingly I had a good time, with Jace making me laugh to the point of crying. On the way home, we walked closer than we had on the way there, brushing hands a couple times.

"You've really changed since high school, Jace. I'm glad though, because now I feel like I'm seeing the real you and not the fake you." Jace held out his arm, an offering for me to take. Seeing as how sweet he was being this evening, I decided to take it. What could be the harm?

"I really hurt you in before, didn't I?" I shook my head, trying to find a way to explain to him how I felt in high school without telling him I used to like him.

"You didn't exactly hurt me, so much as embarrassed me and made me angry pretty much everyday. Remember the day in science when you spilled that animal blood on me, and I got really mad? I wasn't angry about you spilling it on me, but I was angry that you got it on my brand new white shoes." Jace chuckled, prompting me to stop walking an step away from him. Jace gripped my arm and pulled me closer, closing any space left between us.

"I do owe you an apology, but first I think I should say it wasn't animal blood. I brought in a pack of red kool aid with me to class that day and mixed it with a small amount of vinegar, and it wasn't meant to be spilled on you. It just so happened that you tripped over your own feet when I was on my way to the real target." I felt my eyes go wide, the anger I had held onto slipping away.

"Seriously? Who were you going to 'spill' it on?" Jace put his head down, cheeks flaming red for a moment.

"Your still going to be mad at me. I was headed for Simon. I heard him call me a pompous bastard earlier. I guess I know where he got that name from now." Jace gave me a look of amusement, remembering what I had called him repeatedly yesterday when he kept beating me on a Wii game.

"I'm not mad about that. Although Izzy might be when she finds out."

"Why would Izzy get mad?"

"I take it you don't know Izzy and Simon have been dating for the past year." Jace stopped this time, looking at me like I had grown a second head.

"They're dating?" I nodded my head with smug smile, and tugged Jace to start walking again. We walked for a minute or so in silence, until I heard Jace mutter something about murdering Simon and checking Isabelle's sanity. I playfully slapped his arm, laughing at the thought of Isabelle more than likely beating Jace up for 'checking her sanity'.

"Play nice, they're good together. She's made him not as awkward and he's calmed her down."

"I guess your right. I wondered why I hadn't heard about guys she's made cry for awhile." I couldn't help but laugh, picturing Isabelle making boys cry.

"I remember when Isabelle- crap!" I felt my heel hit the ice, but couldn't stop myself from sliding. I closed my eyes waiting for the pain of hitting the concrete, but it never came. I opened my eyes cautiously to Jace looking down at me with wide eyes. The arm that had been linked with mine was now securely around my waist, the other gripping my free hand tightly. I let out a sigh of relief, along with a giggle. Jace grinned while setting me back on my feet.

"See? You just let gravity get the best of you too often." I shook my head with a smile still on my face, secretly missing the feel of Jace's arms around me. Jace put his hand under my chin, so he could look me in the face. I felt my cheeks heat up again, which seemed to happen all to often lately.

"Remember when you asked what I said before we left, and I said nothing? I actually said 'gorgeous'. Although I love how your hair is pinned up-" My breath caught as one arm snaked around my waist pulling me closer, and the other slipping behind my head. He pulled the pins out, letting red curls fall all around my face.

"I like your hair better this way." His face was inches from mine, sending goosebumps down my arms.

"Breathe, Clary." I took in a shaky breath, blushing even harder. Jace ran his fingers through my hair, making me moan involuntarily. Jace leaned in even closer, making it hard for me to remember to breathe.

"You're cold Clary, lets go home." Home? Could Jace possibly be home for me? His arm slipped around my waist like when he caught me, sending warmth through my body. I rested my head on his shoulder, enjoying the moment.

Yeah. Jace could be home for me one day, hopefully.

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**Clace! I felt like I was forcing the chapter, until I got to Jace and Clary walking back and then the words just started flowing! Reviews are welcomed, but not required! **


	5. Chapter 5

**A little short, and a little bland, but I know you all will love the ending.**

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"Are you gonna stay the night? Are you gonna stay the night? Oh oh oh oh oh are you gonna stay the night?" I groaned, mentally cursing Jace for messing with my ringtones on my phone again. Squinting against the light from the display, I recognized Maia's number.

"Hey Maia." I closed my eyes and turned so I was facing the back of the couch. I had stayed up late last night on Jace's laptop surfing the internet, and had fallen asleep on the couch.

"Geez, you sound like you had a rough night. Did you go out and get trashed? Find a little night time company?" Maia's voice held that excitement of doing something out of the ordinary, and I had to stifle a snort.

"I did not get trashed, and I am not hungover. I did go out though." She gasped on the other end, excitedly whispering to someone.

"Hello, whispering is rude Maia!" I heard her giggle and come back to the phone.

"Sorry! So who did you go out with last night? Let me guess, Jace Wayland!" I heard her laughing on the other end. Good guess Maia.

"Actually..."

"Clary! You didn't! You hate him, remember? He ruined your new shoes and pretty much made high school miserable for you!"

"I know, but a lot of weird stuff happened." I went on to explain getting locked out of my car, Jace forcing me to get in his car, the hotel proposition, and finally Jace making me stay with him. I left out the parts where he dropped me in the jacuzzi and the moment we had last night on the street, but Maia was still reeling.

"You like him! Usually when you talk about Jace you can hear the distaste in your voice but now it's gone!" I scoffed, but didn't exactly say no.

"Well, lucky for you you're gonna have an extra week with your new boy toy. The conference got extended one week, and guess who's here? The guys who could unlock your car! How's that for a coincidence? I guess it worked out for you in the end." Maia was crackling again while I just pulled the blanket over my face. Maia was being so... well Maia.

"Gosh, sorry Clare! Well I need to go, I figured I would call and tell you I'd be gone another week so you wouldn't freak out when I didn't show up." We said our goodbye's, and I snuggled back into the couch. I pulled the blanket tighter around me, trying to remember if I had fallen asleep with it or not last night. I had a creeping suspicion Jace put it on me after I fell asleep.

"Come on, Clary. You need to get up and eat something. It's already eight." I moaned, moving so that I was lying face down on the couch. I heard Jace sigh and sit down on the edge of the couch.

"Clary, you need to eat. It's not optional."

"No." I groaned out, just wanting to sleep. After a couple minutes of silence, I felt my body relax and figured Jace had gone away. I was wrong. He poked me in the sides, causing me to shriek and jump up. Unfortunately my legs were tangled in the blanket, sending me crashing into the ground. It didn't really hurt, but I felt like it was appropriate to say 'ow' and glare at Jace, who was snickering. I freed a leg and kicked him gently while getting up.

"What's for breakfast captain smart ass?" I stretched, feeling stiff joints pop and muscles loosen up.

"That's Lieutenant Captain Smart Ass to you, Miss Fray, and I figured I would let you pick since your appetite seems so sparse." I rolled my eyes and dragged myself to the kitchen and sat down on the stool I had claimed for myself four days ago. It seemed like forever ago I was being carried over the shoulder of a man I hated and shoved into his car. I examined my fingers, appreciating the normal color they had.

"French toast. No syrup." Jace flipped the spatula in his hand and bowed, sweeping out with his other hand. I smirked and put my head down on my arms, promising myself I would just close my eyes for a second.

"Hey you, wake up. I won't be as nice as I was this morning waking you up." My head shot up, my tongue sticking out at him.

"You call scaring me half to death and making me fall off the couch nice? Remind me never to get on your bad side." Jace put the dipped bread in the sizzling pan on the stove, and turned to lean across the island.

"I'm not sure Clary. I think you might like my bad side." A devilish grin appeared on his face, making blood rush to my face. Jace reached across the island, stroking my cheek.

"I love how easy it is to get a reaction out of you." Then he turned around, cooking and whistling as if nothing had ever happened.

After too many plates of french toast and some morning banter, I retreated to the living room with Jace's laptop to check my e-mail again for any client requests. I hummed as I scrolled aimlessly, ignoring anything not related to work. Which was pretty much every single one.

"Damn, nothing."

"No work huh? That's what about three weeks now?" I nodded, closing the lid and placing it gently on the coffee table. Jace jumped the back of the couch, landing right beside me.

"If you don't mind me asking, why are you checking you e-mail so often for jobs? Is it-" I interrupted him, laughing and stretching out to put my feet up on the coffee table.

"No, it's not about money. I saved up enough my first year doing this so I wouldn't have to worry if I went a while without getting any work. I just want something to do besides watch t.v. and play video games." Jace got up and offer a hand to me. I took it and let him pull me to my feet, and then let him lead me down the hall to the room he always disappeared into.

"I think I may have a solution to your boredom, if you're willing to learn." He pushed open the door, revealing a full gym with a sparing area in the center. I felt Jace let go of my hand so I could walk forward and explore. I ran my hand along the punching bag hanging in the right corner, visualizing Jace dealing blow after blow and sweat pouring down his face... I shook my head and moved on to the weight training equipment and finally back to the entryway where Jace was standing.

"This is amazing. I knew you were athletic in high school, but this is just, wow." Jace smirked, his hand finding my lower back and pushing me towards the punching bag.

"If you are so bored, then perhaps I can teach you to throw a proper punch. Despite your impressive reflexes, the little knife you keep in your boot won't always be available to you." I nodded, already walking over to the set up of kickboxing gloves.

Two hours later, we were both covered in sweat. Me from actually trying my hardest the entire time, Jace from demonstrating his skills at my request.

"Again!" I struck out with my left arm, feeling the impact with the bag deep in my bones. I had been feeling the ache for about a half hour now, but was trying my hardest to disguise any pain I felt. I was having so much fun, and didn't want Jace to make me stop just because I was feeling a little discomfort. Unfortunately I failed to hide the grimace when my hand connected.

"Alright, that's enough for today Clary. Too much and you'll end up hurting yourself." I groaned and kicked the bag one more time in frustration. I held out my hands for Jace to take the slim gloves off, and reveled in the feeling of gaining strength. My arms and legs felt like led, but I felt so energized. I wanted to practice some more.

"Why did we have to stop? I has having fun." Jace tossed the first glove on the floor by the rack and went to work on the second one, while giving me an incredulous look.

"Clary Fray having fun hitting things? What kind of monster have I made?" He tossed the last glove with the others and gave me a full grin.

"A monster who wants to keep going. Why do you have to ruin my fun?" I was stretching out my arms when Jace rushed forward and grabbed my wrists. I winched at the pressure, and glared at Jace. He smiled grimly and let me go.

"That's why. Now what do you want for dinner? It's four o'clock." I crossed my arms and gave Jace my best glare.

"I'm not hungry. Why do you care so much about me?" Jace sighed and ran his hands through his hair.

"Clary." Jace began in a warning, until I brushed past him. I heard him groan, and follow me while shutting the door to the exercise room.

"Clary, please stop." I whirled around when he grabbed my shoulder.

"No Jace! I've asked you three times now and you never give me an answer. Please just tell me." To my horror I felt tears well up in my eyes, but thankfully they didn't fall. I was so confused. Jace seemed like he hated me in high school, so I developed a hate against him to save tears. After two years he suddenly reappears in my life, being nicer than I've ever seen him. Why the sudden change? Why were the walls I built years ago crumbling so easy with a few kind gestures?

"Oh gosh, Clary, please don't cry. I'll tell you if you just don't cry. I can't stand it when-"

"When what? When girls cry? A lot of guys can't stand that so I don't wanna hear it!" I felt one tear escape and slide down my cheek, landing on the tank top I was wearing. Jace slid his fingers through my hair, gently pulling me closer.

"Clary, I just... I can't stand when you cry. I-" He seemed to struggle for words before looking up and into my eyes.

"Let me show you." He stepped forward, and kissed me. I've kissed guys before, but none could ever compare to what I felt with Jace. Electricity ran through my veins, lighting my body on fire. When Jace pulled away, we were both breathing heavily. Even though I didn't remember doing it, my arms were laced behind his neck, pulling me even closer to him.

"Are you really that blind Clary? I care about you because I love you." I opened my mouth to say something, but thought against it. Instead I laced my fingers through his hair and pulled him in for another kiss.

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**Yes, you can scream in excitement. If any family members look at your weird, just tell them I told you too :) **


	6. Chapter 6

**Words cannot describe the love I am feeling from you all right now. Thank you everyone who has reviewed! I'm glad you all are enjoying the story, as I was initially scared it would turn out to be crap and I would die in the hate flames but the exact opposite has happened! When I began to think about writing a Clace story, I wanted it to be orginal, but not so original that people would look at it and just be like "what the hell is this?"  
But anyway thank you for the reviews! I'll try my best to continue the quick updates!**

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I broke away from the kiss, planting a hand on his chest and pushing. Jace's hands were still planted on my hips, keeping us closer than I'd like at the moment. His eyes locked onto mine, the hurt in them thinly veiled. My heart constricted and I had to fight bringing him close to me again. If I was going to push aside the hurt accumulated over the years, I was going to need answers first.

"Wait! If you loved me, then why did you ignore me in high school and basically make it seem like we would never even be friends, even if we were the last people on Earth?" Jace looked up, groaning and then met my eyes again. A grimace stole over his face, instantly letting me know what ever he was about to say was going to be the truth. Jace never looked this serious.

"Sebastian."

"Sebastian? The kid with the white hair that always hung out with your group?" Jace nodded, laughing darkly under his breath.

"I didn't want to hang out with him, but somehow he was a permanent attachment. I personally didn't like him because he had a tendency to steal what what wasn't his. Remember the bad break up Kailea and Eric went through? That was caused by Sebastian. I pretended you were dirt to me, to keep Sebastian away from you. I knew if I made a move on you, he would too. I only difference was I wanted your heart for real; he wanted it to break and throw away. So I pretended like I hated you to keep him far away." One by one, my walls of hatred for Jace came crashing down letting a flood of emotions break through. I felt tears well up in my eyes again, except this time they weren't because of frustration or sadness.

"So all of the insults and the pranks weren't to hurt me? They were to protect me?" Jace nodded, the regret shining in his golden eyes.

"Oh Jace!" I threw my arms around his neck, burying my face. I knew my tears were staining his shirt, but I didn't care. I felt his arms wrap around my waist tighter, his face in my hair.

"Clary. I was so afraid, but now I'm not. I knew Sebastian would break you, and you would never be the same again. I would've hated myself to have let you get hurt like that." I nodded, squeezing my arms tighter. Jace lifted me up slightly, my legs automatically locking around him. He carried me a little ways down the hall, until I heard a door opening. I didn't lift my head, but I knew we were in his bedroom. Moments later I was tucked against Jace's side, never wanting to be anywhere else ever again.

I woke up to fingers stroking through my hair, carefully working through the knots without pulling. Jace had one arm wrapped around my waist, the other playing with my hair. I didn't want to open my eyes in case I was dreaming, but luckily I wasn't. Jace knew I had woken up and drew me closer to him, kissing my cheek. I giggled and opened my eyes. Jace was staring down at me, a soft smile on his face. He ran his free hand through my hair again, and kissed me. When he pulled away, I couldn't help but ask him a question.

"Am I sleeping beauty or something?"

"No. I'm more partial to gorgeous red curls than flat blonde hair." I playfully smacked his arm, and drew myself closer so there wasn't any space between us. Jace kissed me again, the electricity running through me as it had the first time we kissed.

"How long was I asleep?"

"Six hours. I certainly didn't mind." He nuzzled into my neck, nipping playfully. I giggled again, thanking whoever for this perfect moment. Twenty-four hours ago we were easing into an unstable friendship, and now I felt complete.

"Hey Jace, what are we?"

"Humans." I raised an eyebrow, a small smile gracing my lips.

"All right I'll be serious, but only for a couple minutes. It's burns me." I rolled my eyes, but propped myself up on an elbow to look him in the eye.

"We are what you want us to be, Clary. I don't want to force anything your not ready for." I wrapped my arms around his neck, resting my head against his chest again.

"I wanna be happy, actually happy for the first time in a while, and you make me happy Jace." His arm slid around my back, holding me to him.

"I love you Clary."

"I love you too Jace. Thanks for basically kidnapping me off the streets."

"I need to find the guy who almost took your door off, punch them, and then thank them." I groaned, and closed my eyes to slip back into oblivion.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

His dark eyes followed the slender figure in shimmering blue with red curls, and the male in black dress pants and a white button-up shirt with blonde hair as they exited Taki's, laughing and smiling. Sebastian felt a sinister smile come across his lips, a plan effortlessly formulating in his mind. He closed the blinds and sat back down on his bed, thinking.

"So Jace and Clary. I knew he was hiding something from me in high school, and now I know what. Jace knew I didn't like liars, and I still don't. Perhaps I need to remedy that ignorance."

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

When I woke up the second time, I was alone. Still half asleep I reached behind myself and felt for Jace, noticing how the bed was still warm. I groaned, not wanting to leave the warm sanctity of Jace's bed.

"Jace." I yelled Jace's name, just loud enough for him to hear me. I heard footsteps in the hall followed by the door opening and a head of blonde curls popping through the doorway.

"Are you okay Clary?" I yawned, stretching myself out on his bed.

"Yeah. I just wanted to know where you were at to avoid getting up." I pulled his warm comforter up to my neck, cuddling down into the soft fabric. Jace grinned and strolled over to his bed, sitting on the edge beside me.

"I take it you slept well last night?" His fingers delicately ran through my hair, causing me to shut my eyes in bliss. I heard him chuckle and move to lay beside me on the blanket. I nodded, not wanting to speak.

"Who knew it would only take me five days to get you in my bed?" I opened my eyes and smacked his arm, trying to give Jace a hurt face, but failing miserably. I couldn't lie- I did like being in his bed even if it wasn't in the aspect Jace's barely hidden inuendo was. We laid in the bed for the remander of the morning, until both of our growling stomach's forced us to get up and make breakfast. I watched Jace move as he whisked eggs in a bowl for french toast, enjoying the rippling of his muscles, until something crossed my mind.

What happens in two weeks when Maia comes back?


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm not exactly happy with this chapter, but at least it's something. I may go back in a week or two and rewrite it to make it better, but I'll make sure to let you all know. :)**

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I was sitting in front of the t.v. watching a movie with little yellow creatures running around, yelling nonsense at each other and continually smacking the one named Dave. They looked like twinkies in overalls, but their characters in general made me forget about the thoughts that have been plaguing me for the past few days. What would happen when Maia came back in two weeks? I raked my hands through my hair in frustration, tears pooling in my eyes. I had zero solutions in my head to ease this silent suffering- it felt almost as if I had a block between my thoughts, preventing me from coming up with any plans at all. I've been trying to avoid Jace as much as possible, so he wouldn't ask me what was wrong. I felt the gap growing between us steadily, and it was all my fault. I was terrified of losing Jace, and the fact I had grown so close to Jace scared me almost as much. I had never been close to anyone besides my mom, Luke, Simon, and Maia, and I was scared to lose any of them, but something felt different about the thought of losing Jace. I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth to void the unwanted thoughts from my mind.

"Clary? Why are you still in here?" I angrily wiped away the tears that had slipped down my face. I couldn't let Jace see me like this.

"I, um, couldn't sleep so I came in here to watch a movie." I kept my eyes on the screen, focusing on the little girl screaming something about unicorns. Jace sat beside me and pulled me onto his lap, his arms looping around my waist. He kissed his way from my shoulder up to my neck, nipping occasionally to leave marks on my pale skin. I wanted to surrender to his kisses, but that stubborn question caused me to gently push him away. Jace growled in irritation, and pushed me off his lap and back onto the couch. I felt icy fear grip me and worried that I had pushed Jace too far, until I felt his hands pin me on the couch.

"Clary, I've had it with you avoiding me for the past three days. Tell me what's wrong." His voice was hard, but as always his golden eyes told me what he was really feeling. I bit my lip, debating the direction this conversation could take if I told him the truth. If I told him nothing, it could end in us getting into a huge fight or Jace comforting me even though he doesn't know what for. If I told him what was really on my mind, then... I'm not sure what would happen.

"I know that look, Clary. Tell me the truth, please."

"It's nothing. I just feel odd, that's all." Guilt shot through me when the hurt flickered across his face. A second later it was gone and Jace was picking me up, carrying me to his bed for the night.

_"Maia? Is that you?" I slowly sat up in my bed, immediately noticing the unusual silence in the apartment. Usually the sound of cars or at least a t.v. left on in a neighboring apartment was audible, but there was nothing. I wasn't panicking yet, but my heart started to speed up slightly. My feet touched the cold floor, sending a chill up my spine as I made my way into the hall. _

_"Maia?" I didn't get a response, but noticed the kitchen light was on. I must have left it on by accident. Cautiously I poked my head around the corner, just to double check there was no danger lurking around the corner. I laughed to myself, feeling stupid for thinking there was someone in the apartment at this time of night. Flicking the light back off, I felt my way through the hallway and back to my room cursing when I caught my foot on a box, but the moment I stepped through the door an arm wrapped around my waist, a sharp blade pressing painfully against my throat. Fingers pressed harshly into my ribs, most likely leaving bruises. I felt a scream working its way up, until the knife pressed hard enough to draw blood._

_"Scream and I will not hesitate to press my blade clear through your pretty little throat." I bit my tongue and tried to get my heart rate down- if I didn't die from this knife I would die from a heart attack. I had to fight to keep myself from struggling against the intruder as he drug me over to my bed and threw me down. His body was lean but obviously strong, with a ninja-like wrap covering his face. His eyes were the only part of his face that was visible, but the solid black of them caused terror more than if he had covered them. Before I could move to escape he was on top of me, a hand creeping up my shirt. I started to struggle against him, fear making me start to shake and tears slide down my face. I managed to get one of my hands free to hit the intruder, only to be met with the back of his hand. Black spots danced across my vision, threatening to take me under._

_"You stupid slut. How dare you hit me?" The spots disappeared the minute his fingers gripped the waist band of my shorts. I started to thrash around, desperate to keep his hands off of me. He slapped me again, and I heard the ripping of fabric. Despite the knife, I let out a scream of pure terror. The intruder snarled, and I heard the sound of a zipper..._

"Clary! Wake up! Come on Clary wake up!" Jace's voice ripped me out of my nightmare, his hands on my shoulders shaking me. My eyes flew open, tears already blinding me to the point of blurring everything. I choked out a sob, my arms wrapping tightly around his neck. Jace moved his hands from my shoulders to around my waist, holding me tightly against him while murmuring comforting nothings into my ear. I'm not sure how long I cried, but when I finally stopped Jace pulled away and wiped the tears from my face before lying us both down and pulling the comforter back up to our shoulders. His arms around me made me feel safe, protected from that awful nightmare. I closed my eyes as Jace stroked my hair, but opened them again a second later when an image of a knife against my throat appeared. I heard myself gasp and jump, my heart beating wildly again.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Jace's voice was soothing, erasing the other voice stuck in my head. I turned and buried my head into his chest, desperately wishing the horrible images would disappear.

"I dreamed someone broke into my apartment, held a knife to my throat, and tried to rape me. He was unzipping his pants and ripping off my shorts when you woke me up." The silence hung heavy between us, neither moving a muscle. Jace growled into the skin of my neck, his arms tightening to the point of discomfort. I put my hand on his on my stomach, letting him know I was okay- or at least trying to convince him I was.

"Clary."

"Yes?"

"Promise not to freak out or hit me?"

"Yes, but why would I try to h-"

"Stay here with me. When Maia comes back, stay here with me so I can keep you safe." I scrambled for an excuse to refuse him, but came up empty handed. Besides the fact we had only started speaking a week ago, I honestly could not think of a reason not to. Jace made me feel safe and wanted; he made me feel loved.

"What happens if things go wrong between us Jace?"

"I won't let them." I removed my head from its resting place on his chest and looked at him.

"Promise?"

"I promise to always protect you and love you Clary." I gently untangled my arms from his and pushed on his chest, urging him to lay on his back. I cuddled up to Jace, one hand on his chest and the other tucked against mine.

"Maia's going to talk my ear off when I tell her." Jace kissed my forehead and tightened his grip on me.


	8. Chapter 8

Despite sleeping in Jace's arms since my nightmare, I haven't slept much since then. Despite successfully hiding when I wake up from a nightmare, I know Jace has noticed the dark circles under my eyes as well as my trouble focusing. I would zone out constantly, not focusing on anything but breathing. I had fallen asleep on Jace while watching a movie, but jolted awake a couple minutes later by an unbidden shock of fear. This went on for about three days before Jace finally said something.

"Clary, you really need to get some sleep. You look awful." I know I should be offended by his blunt remark, but he was only speaking the truth. Jace grabbed my chin and tilted my head so I was facing him.

"Tell me how I can help Clary. I hate seeing you so miserable." I shrugged my shoulders, wincing slightly at the pinch of my muscles. When I was younger, Simon and I would pull all-nighters and watch entire anime series. I enjoyed the time in general, but always hated when the morning came. My entire body felt like it was buzzing, but severely slowed down from exhaustion. I swear I could literally feel my organs struggling to function, especially my brain and muscles. Now was no different, especially since I had only gotten a total of five hours of sleep in the past three days. Jace noticed my discomfort and winced.

"Would a massage help?" I shook my head.

"They only hurt because I'm exhausted."

"Come on." Jace took my hand and led me to what used to be my bedroom, and told me to sit on the bed while he disappeared into the walk in closet. A couple minutes later he came back out with two small pieces of black fabric in hand.

"Is that a bathing suit?" Jace grinned and tossed it to me.

"Yup, and you need to change into it."

"Why? It's the middle of winter! What could we possibly do?" Jace's grin grew, and he stepped out the room while shutting the door. I sighed, and went ahead and changed. As soon as I finished tying the top, Jace knocked and stepped in the room. He rose an eyebrow, a predatory look crossing his face. He stalked across the room, picking me up so I could lock my legs around him like I did the night we confessed our feelings. Jace's hands ran along my legs, sending shivers up my spine and causing goosebumps to appear as he eyed me with appreciation. I felt my face blush and kissed Jace to distract him. When Jace pulled away he kissed up my neck, leaving marks. I tilted my head back, giving him better access to my neck until a moaned slipped from my lips. Jace paused in his ministrations, and I froze in horror. Where had that come from? I let my eyes drop down to his chest when he drew back to look at me. After a minute I reluctantly looked back up, only to see that stupid grin on Jace's face.

"What?" Jace dove into my neck again, kissing his way up to my ear.

"What do I have to do to get you to make that sound again?" I blushed scarlet and tried my best to glare at Jace, but failed miserably.

"Come on, I want to show you something. It'll help you relax." Jace set me back down on the floor, taking my hand and leading me to the training room.

"Jace why are we in the training room?"

"Just hold on Miss Impatient and watch." Jace led me across the room and to a door I had thought led to a dressing room of some sorts, which was ridiculous considering this was Jace's house and not a regular training facility. Why in the world would he have a separate changing room if it was his house? When Jace opened the door, I gasped. Inside was a glass room with artificially fogged windows to keep prying eyes out and a cozy looking hot tub in the middle. Without even waiting for Jace, I darted forward and slipped into the blissful warmth letting it sooth my aching body. It didn't make me feel one hundred percent better, but the bubbling water did loosen up my muscles enough to allow me free movement. I closed my eyes and sunk down into the water to let my head rest against the edge until Jace slipped in beside me and pulled me onto his lap. Usually I would blush at the close contact, but I was in heaven and too far gone to care. When Jace's strong hands began to kneed into my shoulder and neck, I had to fight to keep from relaxing so much I would slip under the water.

"Feel better?" I nodded, letting a sigh escape my lips when he worked a particularly painful spot out of my back.

"Remember when I used to call you a spoiled rich kid in high school?" Jace chuckled and murmured a yes.

"I am officially glad you are in fact a spoiled rich kid. Otherwise you wouldn't have worked as hard as you have to get all of this." Jace let out a full laugh, and paused to twist my hair up on top of my head in a bun.

"I'm glad to, otherwise I'd have a rather cranky Clary on my hands right now instead of the wonderfully relaxed and happy Clary that is sitting on my lap."

"Remind me to smack you later. I'm too relaxed right now to move."

"Enjoying the massage? Maybe another time I'll show you what else I can do with my hands..."

"If it feels as good as this then I'll take you up on that offer." It slipped out before my brain even registered what Jace had said.

"Ah crap, I meant-" Jace cut me off by nipping lightly where my neck and shoulder joined. I let out another moan, this one louder than the first one.

"No take backs Clary. Read the contract carefully before signing." He whispered in my ear, sending another round of chills despite the heat of the hot tub. I groaned and tried not to imagine exactly what he had in mind.

Once Jace had literally worked every ache and pain from my shoulders and back, we just sat and talked while Jace played with my hands until I yawned and felt my eyes droop.

"Are you tired?" I nodded, fighting another incoming yawn.

"Perfect." Jace let me fall to the side so he could slip an arm under my legs and one behind my back, then carefully making his way out of the hot tub with me securely in his arms. By the time we reached his room I was about three seconds from passing out, until Jace told me to wait a second. I frowned and yawned again, just wanting to curl up in his bed but refraining due to me still being soaked. When he came back Jace had a pair of comfy shorts, a loose shirt and underwear for me to put on.

"I'm gonna go change in the bathroom. Take as long as you like Clary." As he disappeared into the bathroom, I stripped out of what I now realized was a bikini, and into the underwear and shorts Jace had brought, but not the shirt. Without giving it much extra thought I walked into Jace's closet and grabbed the first t-shirt I saw. I tossed the other shirt at the wall and flopped ungracefully across his bed. Jace came back out from the bathroom ten minutes later, the creaking door alerting me of his presence.

"Come on sleepy head. Under the covers." I felt Jace pick me up with ease and slip under the covers with me, his arms constricting around me in their usual comforting brace. I hummed in pleasure, appreciating the sense of peace and safety I had been lacking the last three or so days.

"If we need to do this every night before bed, I'll do it for you Clary. Get some sleep." I felt his lips press against my cheek before I drifted off into a finally nightmare free and uninterrupted slumber.

When I woke up, I was fully rested and ecstatic I had actually gotten the sleep I needed. I stretched and felt Jace's arms tighten around my waist, pulling me back to him when I was done. He nuzzled into my neck, sighing and curling around me.

"Sleep well?" I nodded, humming in agreement. It was true- I felt refreshed and fantastic all around.

"Good. I wonder what did the trick. The hot tub? The massage? Sleeping in on of my t-shirts?" A teasing tone came into his voice when he mentioned the t-shirt, and I felt myself blush. Jace laughed again started to run his fingers through my hair like he does every morning. I let out a small moan of pleasure and relaxed into his arms.

"I'm not sure why, but I just really wanted to wear one of your t-shirts."

"Feel free to wear them anytime you want. Then I can take them off as well later." Jace started nipping at my neck to get me to moan, a giggle erupting from my lips when his fingers gripped my sides. Before I knew it, I was squalling and thrashing around trying to get Jace to stop tickling me. Eventually I managed to grab his wrists and pin them above his head while sitting on him. Unable to resist I gently released him and kiss him, happiness filling me. When we broke apart for air, Jace looped his arm around my back and pulled me flush with him. I sighed, hoping this would never end.

"I hope this never ends Clary. I love you so so much."

"I was just thinking the same thing. I love you too Jace."

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**This chapter felt _much_ better. It flowed out a lot easier than the last one. Hope you all like it, and the real drama will start next chapter!  
Reviews are very much appreciated but not required :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry about the lack of updates, school actually continued for a week or two uninterrupted, but now the snow is back and school has been cancelled for the rest of the week. This means more updates :) **  
**To Guest reviewers: I don't mind these reviews, in fact I love them just as much, but I would greatly appreciate it if when you review to leave an identifier with it such as a number sequence or a name so I can respond to you in the next chapter.**

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"You what! Clary this amazing! You all will be so adorable . Are you all gonna get married? Has he already proposed? Will your Mom and Luke come in for the wedding? Can I be a bridesmaid or even the maid of honor? Oh my gosh this is all so exciting!" I pulled the phone away from my ear, wincing at Maia's shrieking.

"Maia, calm down. We are not getting married and we're not engaged. He just asked me to move in is all." I knew how bad it would look to others if I moved in with him after only two weeks, but I was a grown woman damn it! After all I had been through in my life, from the bullying to the general feelings of displacement, I deserved a little bit of happiness without feeling guilt due to others' disaproval. I looked at the door anxiously, hoping Jace was still busy and not listening.

"Ah poo. You're no fun Clary."

"What does engagement or marriage have anything to do with fun?" I heard Maia sigh on the other end, probably rolling her eyes knowing full well I couldn't see her.

"Okay Clary, since your going to get all technical with me I'm gonna get off of here and go back work on my reports. Be safe!" Huh?

"Be safe? What are you talking about?"

"You are so dense. Make him wrap it or be in pain nine months later. See ya in a couple weeks!" I was left gaping, the dial tone snapping me back to reality. I had never thought of things going that far, let alone a _baby_ coming into the mix later on. Would Jace even want kids? Do _I_ even want kids? I shook my head not even wanting to _begin_ thinking about anything in that direction.

"Hey." I tensed up when Jace hopped on the bed beside me, relaxing moments later. He always teased me about being jumpy, so I would try to hide when I flinched. I set the phone on the bedside table and buried my face in the soft pillow, letting out a frusterated groan.

"How'd telling Maia go?" I groaned again, immediately deciding not to tell Jace about Maia's rant on marriage and preventing children.

"That bad huh. Was she upset or angry?" I sat back up and pulled the pillow into my lap, resting my arms on it.

"Neither. Maia was... enthusiastic for lack of a better word."

"I was expecting something different. I'm not sure what that was, but definitely not enthusiasm." I let out a short laugh, falling backwards onto the bed again.

"You and me both."

"So what else did Maia say? You all were on the phone longer than it took to just be excited about it."

"Nice choice of words. We didn't really talk about anything else." I felt my cheeks flame, desperately wishing Jace to look away so he wouldn't see past my lie. He just raised an eyebrow, then pulled me into his arms and nuzzled my neck. I sighed in contentment, and chose to forget Maia's remarks.

~.~.~.~.~.~

Two days later, I found myself curled up on the couch wrapped in what I now considered my favorite blanket. I was shivering, the blanket pulled up tight against my neck, desperately wishing the nausea that had plagued me all day to vanish. Jace had left earlier that morning to go check on the Academy and make sure Izzy wasn't beating Alec up too bad, while I remained in bed for another hour before stumbling to the couch. Why was it when someone gets sick, they sleep on the couch rather than the bed?

I had drifted off into an uneasy sleep, until I felt a draft from somewhere. Not putting much thought into it I pulled the blanket tighter, allowing myself to drift back into the haze. I felt like I was in a dream, everything in the room was hazy when my eyes would flutter open for a moment. The television had a glowing blur around it, illuminating off of the coffee table. I shut my eyes again, and when I opened them I saw someone standing beside the television. I closed my eyes again just to open them again in a squint. The figure was gone- probably just my imagination. I slipped back into uneasy oblivion.

~.~.~.~.~.~

"Damn it Clary, if I'd known you were sick I wouldn't have left." I felt his strong arms slip under me, blanket and all, and lift me into his arms. I let out a pitiful sound that was a cross between a groan and a whimper. I vaugely registered Jace cursing before he put me back on his bed. I flinched and weakly clawed at the cold washcloth he had layed on my forehead.

"No, Clary. You have a fever and you need to leave it."

"No."

"Clary. We can go to the hot tub once your fever's gone if you leave it." Reluctantly I dropped my hand, remembering the bliss of the hot tub and Jace's amazing massage skills.

"Good girl."

"I'm not a dog."

"No, your a Clary. A Clary is more relatable to a cat, as neither of them listen and tend to do the exact opposite they are told to do." I groaned, wanting to make a snarky remark back but not trusting myself to keep from losing my breakfast. Jace gave my hand a gentle squeeze before going to the refrigerator for a ginger ale. I sleepily opened my eyes when Jace came back, setting the glass on the table. He had a puzzled look on his face, I moved my head slightly to the side trying to ask him what was wrong.

"Did you by chance open the balcony door sometime this morning and not lock it?" I let my eyes fall shut again, mumbling that it was possible.

"Okay baby, get some sleep. I'll be right here if you need me." I felt the bed dip and his strong arms wrap around me, before I drifted off again.

~.~.~.~.~.~

"Come on, get up." I nudged Jace, trying to get him to move. He smiled and grabbed my wrist to pull me back down to him, but stopped as soon as his hand met bareskin at my waist. His eyes shot open, taking in my attire. I was wearing another bikini I had found in the closet of clothes he had gotten me. My fever was gone and I no longer felt as if I was going to lose the contents of my stomach, so I decided to take Jace up on his offer of the hot tub.

"You promised, Jace. Lets go." He stretched and held his hands up in surrender.

"Alright. Give me a minute to go find my trunks." I jumped up from the bed, clapping my hands in delight.

"You couldn't have waited for me?" I shook my head, sinking lower into the warm water to let the jets massage my back.

"I don't recall waiting last time either. What made you think I would this time?"

"That's true." Jace slid in across from me, pushing his touseled hair from his face. That simple movement was so... hot. I gave Jace a shy smile and moved so my legs were locked around his waist and my arms locked around him neck. I gave him a gentle kiss, enjoying the feel of his fingers skating across my back.

"Have I told you how glad I am you basically kidnapped me?" Jace trailed kisses up my neck, stopping to look at me.

"Hmm maybe once or twice." I playfully slapped his arm, kissing him again. As our kisses picked up intensity, Maia's words floated around in my head. I gasped and pulled back, water sloshing out of the hot tub. Jace gripped my waist, keeping me from pulling away any further.

"Hey, you okay? What happened?" I flushed, not wanting to tell Jace anything about that conversation.

"Nothing, just a passing thought." He pulled me closer, my legs locking tighter around him.

"Clary, if your uncomfortable about anything, _anything_, then please tell me." I bit my lip and placed my hands on his chest, quickly thinking it over. Did I want this with Jace?

"I'm uncomfortable just sitting here." Jace gave me an amused smile, before pulling me in for another kiss.

"Do you want to get out and go to the be-"

"Yes." I gasped when Jace picked me up, only to be silenced by his lips on mine.

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**Yup, just go ahead and scream again. I know you want to :)**


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